If your flair for writing has you turning your sights to a career as a technical writer, it's important to know how you can best get technical writing education and training. Whether you're interested in technical report writing or technical manual writing, or if you want to work for a technical writing company or get into freelance technical writing, you'll benefit from the right education and training.

While a bachelor's degree is not required for a career in technical writing, a college degree provides excellent technical writing training. Seminars and conferences through technical writing organizations also provide invaluable educational information for writers. These are a few paths you can take on your road to becoming a technical writer:

1. Get a formal degree in technical writing.
2. Obtain a technical writing certificate to start your career as a technical writer.
3. Take advantage of educational and training programs offered by technical writing organizations.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Enroll in a technical writing program at an accredited college or university

While a degree in technical writing is not mandatory to become a technical writer, it is helpful to obtain a bachelor's degree in technical writing. You can choose between online courses and traditional classroom settings in your pursuit of a degree in technical writing.

I recommend: Carnegie Mellon University offers one of the country's oldest technical writing programs, and one of the few that is still designated as a bachelor's of science degree rather than a bachelor's of arts. Obtain a bachelor's degree in technical writing with Kaplan University's online program. The University of Washington offers a bachelor of arts in technical writing through it's individualized studies program in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Participate in a program that will afford you a technical writing certificate

If you've already earned a degree but have since decided to pursue a career in technical writing, many colleges or universities offer a technical writing certificate program. This is usually an intensive course of study that introduces students to many aspects of business technical writing.

I recommend: Learn all facets of technical writing through the eight-course certificate program offered by Brooklyn College. The University of California has an online technical writing certificate program that is endorsed by the Inland Empire Society for Technical Communication (IESTC).

Sign up for conferences and seminars in technical writing

Continuing education in the way of seminars and conferences is an important training tool for technical writers. Online, phone and live conferences and seminars are available through organizations for technical writers. You'll also enjoy other benefits as members of a technical writer's organization, including newsletters, networking and job databases.

I recommend: Join the Society for Technical Communication (STC) and sign up for live and web-based seminars and conferences, as well as academic programs in technical writing. The Inland Empire Society for Technical Communication provides web-based seminars and links to colleges and universities offering continuing education in technical writing.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Take advantage of internship programs run by technical writing companies offering technical writing services. These are usually paying positions that may lead to full-time, permanent employment.

Documentation is tedious, to say the least. Whether it’s your latest proposal, the user guide for a new product, or even just your in-house training manual, it can seem overwhelming when faced with a new writing project. And when your technical writing project is client-facing, it can be even more impossible. A full-time, on-staff technical writer can be quite expensive, particularly when you add hiring costs and benefits into the equation. But while your company may not be ready for its own technical writer, it is more than time for you to consider hiring a technical writing company for your next outgoing document. By using a contract technical writer, you can significantly enhance your document for a fraction of the cost you might expect.

When looking amongst the various technical writing companies in the marketplace today, among the key points to consider are:

1. The length and breadth of your business technical writing project(s).

2. The type of technical report writing you need.

3. The cost of a company versus individuals providing technical writing services.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find a technical writing service provider who can work when you need them

For some companies, a project requiring technical writing services is a one-off situation that is short and sweet. For others, they may need the assistance of a technical writing company several times a year. Different technical writers offer different rates and availability based upon how long they expect to work with you. Make sure the writer you choose gives you the best deal for what you need.

I recommend: nSight provides their technical writing service for both full-time and part-time projects as well as temporary and immediate need situations. InfoPros is a technical writing company provides services for technical documentation, technical marketing writing and training development.

Know the type of technical communications you need and match with the right writer

'Technical writing' is a very general term applied to a very broad range of topics. Technical report writing requires a completely different skillset than technical manual writing. It's important that you have the right technical writer to delivery you project in the manner you expect and deserve.

I recommend: Writing Assistance, Inc. is one of the technical writing consulting firms available today. They offer technical writers with a wide variety of skillsets and backgrounds, which can help them meet your varied needs easily. Clarity Consultants has provided companies with technical writing consultants since 1992.

Price out a freelance technical writer versus available technical writing companies

Freelance technical writing is a field that is growing each year. Sometimes, these freelance writers are able to give you a better deal than technical writing companies, as they don't have the overhead costs that a full company requires. Freelancers are often former employees of writing companies who have simply decided to branch out on their own.

I recommend: Guru.com offers access to many people specializing in freelance technical writing in one location. Look at TechWriteOnTime for examples of technical writing projects done by a contractor. MediaBistro has an extensive list of freelance technical writing experts.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When looking for someone in freelance technical writing, make sure that you're working with a domestic writer. There are many international technical writers who may offer their services, but a native speaker is always preferable in writing.
• •  You should always ask a writer for samples of work they've previously written. Understand, however, that a technical writer may have a smaller portfolio than most, as many of their projects are covered by non-disclosure agreements with their clients.

Technical writing is a formal style of writing used to explain or describe information about a specific product, craft or industry. In order to better understand technical writing, it's necessary to not only know but to understand technical writing key terms and abbreviations so that you can use them in your writing. After you’ve learned these key terms, you can put them into practice in your work to ensure success in your business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Manufacturer suggested retail price

The manufacturer suggested retail price, also referred to as MSRP, indicates the price that the manufacturer want retailers to use when they sell the manufacturer's products.

I recommend: Learn more about manufacturer suggested retail price and how you can use it in technical writing at WiseGEEK.

Business-to-business, business-to-consumer and business-to-government

Business-to-business, B2B or B-to-B, is a marketing term that you may use in technical writing to describe the financial transactions between businesses. Business-to-consumer (B2C) relates to transactions between businesses and consumers, and business- to-government (B2G) describes transactions between businesses and the government.

I recommend: Find information about the business- to-business market and how it is beneficial to technical writers at Jackie Cooper Writer. Learn about the terms B2B, B2C and B2G at Businesspedia.

EXtensible markup language

XML is the abbreviation for eXtensible markup language, and it describes a particularly complex form of technical writing in which the author is expected to explain structural elements, such as paragraphs and indents, of his or her writing by using tags and other devices such as document-type definitions (DTD).

I recommend: Online-learning.com explains how writing eXtensible markup language can be financially beneficial to technical writers.

Controlled vocabulary

Controlled vocabulary, or simplified English, describes a technical writing key term for a certain set of grammatical rules that technical writers must use.

I recommend: Get more information about controlled vocabulary at Tedopres International.

Digital-accessible information system

Digital-accessible information system, or DAISY, is a standard for technical writing that is used to create content such as audio books and electronic devices.

I recommend: Review the information about DAISY at the DAISY Consortium.

Information mapping

Information mapping refers to a technical writing key term that describes certain methods for analyzing, organizing and presenting information. There are software programs that help technical writers to do this efficiently, so they can apply these standards to their work.

I recommend: Learn more about information mapping methods for technical writers at Information Mapping.